The Outdoor Life in Durango: Why Active People Plant Roots Here
Durango, Colorado is a mountain town in La Plata County built around the outdoors: the Animas River runs through downtown, world-class mountain bike trails start at the edge of town, and Purgatory Resort is about half an hour north. That daily access to rivers, trails, and snow is the main reason people move here and stay.
Durango gets described a lot of ways. College town. Mountain town. Artsy town. Real estate gem. All of those are true, but none of them explains why people move here and never leave.
The outdoor life does. Not in an abstract, pretty-mountains kind of way. In a show-up-at-a-trailhead-on-a-Tuesday-morning-and-see-fifty-people kind of way. Durango does not dabble in the outdoors. The town builds its whole identity around them.
What is there to do on the water in Durango?
The Animas River runs right through the heart of downtown Durango. That is not a metaphor. The river is literally there, moving fast and cold through town, and people are in it all summer.
- Kayakers and surfers play in the whitewater park in town.
- Fly fishermen work the bends south of town.
- Families float tubes past the local breweries on warm July afternoons.
- Rafting companies run trips from spring runoff through late summer.
East of town, Vallecito Reservoir and Lemon Reservoir are favorites for paddleboarding, boating, and fishing. If you have ever wanted to live somewhere where a river is part of daily life rather than something you drive past, Durango is that place.
How good is mountain biking in Durango?
Mountain biking is serious business in Durango. The town hosted the first UCI Mountain Bike World Championships in 1990, and professional racers have trained and lived here ever since.
The trail systems at Horse Gulch, Telegraph, and Hermosa Creek are world class, and several of them start within a few minutes of downtown. Fort Lewis College runs one of the top collegiate cycling programs in the country, so riders of every skill level push each other. On a summer evening, the trailheads are as busy as the coffee shops.
Where can you hike near Durango?
Hiking around Durango is just as strong as the biking. The Weminuche Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in Colorado, is right in the backyard as part of the San Juan National Forest.
A few of the classics:
- Chicago Basin, reached by the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, is the jumping-off point for three fourteeners.
- The Colorado Trail starts at Junction Creek, just outside town, and runs almost 500 miles to Denver.
- Engineer Mountain is a favorite summit off the highway to Silverton.
You could spend years exploring and still find new routes.
What is winter like in Durango?
Winter in Durango is real. It snows, and the town embraces it. Purgatory Resort is about 25 miles north, and plenty of locals ski on weekdays because they can.
When the lifts are not the plan, there is snowshoeing in the national forest, cross-country skiing on groomed trails, and ice on the high-country lakes. Downtown stays lively all winter.
What else is there to do outdoors?
Durango is not a single-sport town. Rock climbing, road cycling, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing on the Colorado Trail, and elk hunting in the fall on public land not far from your front door are all part of local life. In Durango, the question is not whether to be outside but which version of outside you feel like today.
Mesa Verde National Park is about 35 miles west. The ancient cliff dwellings there are one of the most remarkable things you can walk through in the American Southwest, and living near a place like that never gets old.
What does the outdoor life mean for Durango real estate?
The outdoor lifestyle is the main thing Durango buyers are paying for. When someone buys in Durango, they are not just buying square footage. They are buying into a way of life that most Americans only get to visit on vacation.
Attachment like that keeps demand for Durango homes steady. When people love where they live, they hold on to their homes. They tell their friends, and the friends move here too. That cycle has been running in Durango for decades and it is still running now.
Location within Durango matters for the same reason. Buyers pay attention to how close a home is to trailheads, the river trail, and the road to Purgatory. Homes that let you ride, paddle, or ski without loading the car tend to hold their appeal.
Thinking about buying in Durango?
If you are thinking about buying in the area and want to understand the market, the neighborhoods, and which ones fit how you like to spend your days, I am always happy to talk. Call me at (970) 946-7079 or email Brett@rmhomeandranch.com.
Brett Rosenbaugh, Rocky Mountain Home and Ranch